Navigating among activities in a computing device

ABSTRACT

A computing device runs multiple activities concurrently and provides at least two modes for interacting with the activities. The user may toggle between the modes as desired. In a full-screen mode, one activity occupies substantially an entire display screen. In a windowed mode, the activity is visible within a window, and a portion of at least one other window is also visible. In the windowed mode, the user can cause windows to move, thereby changing focus from one activity to another. For example, the window having focus can be moved off the screen, to be replaced by a new window that is then given focus. The windows are ordered in a sequence and move in concert with one another; pushing one window off one edge of the screen causes a new window to appear at the opposite edge. A persistent positional relationship can be established among windows.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/316,004, filed Dec. 9, 2011, for “Navigating AmongActivities in a Computing Device,” which is a Divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/126,145, filed May 23, 2008, for “NavigatingAmong Activities in a Computing Device,” the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/115,992, filed May 6, 2008, for “Extended Touch-Sensitive ControlArea for Electronic Device,” the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein in its entirety.

The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/379,552, filed Apr. 20, 2006, for “Keypad and Sensor Combination toProvide Detection Region that Overlays Keys,” the disclosure of which isincorporated herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to application management in computingdevices, and more particularly to systems and methods for navigatingamong activities such as applications in such devices.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Many currently available computing devices run operating systems thatoffer users the opportunity to run several applications at the sametime, and even to perform several activities simultaneously, within asingle application and/or among two or more applications. For example, auser may open an e-mail application, a word processing application, anon-screen calculator, and a web browser, so that all of the applicationsare open concurrently. The user may open several documents within theword processing application, and may open several e-mail messages. Suchan arrangement allows the user to easily move from one task to anotherby keeping these various applications and activities open at the sametime.

Conventionally, such an operating paradigm is accomplished by the use ofmultiple overlapping windows within a graphical user interface. Adesktop metaphor is often employed, wherein the user can move and resizewindows on a display screen by direct manipulation. Thus, eachapplication may have a window or several windows; at any given time, onewindow has focus (usually indicated as such by being situated on top ofthe other windows). Other windows may be visible, invisible, orpartially visible (for example if they are partially or completelyobscured by other windows). A user can switch from one task to anotherby causing a different window to have focus; this is commonlyaccomplished by clicking on a visible portion of the window beingactivated, or by clicking on a button or icon representing the window orapplication in a task bar, dock, or similar construct. In some operatingsystems, pop-up menus and/or keyboard shortcuts may be available forswitching among applications or documents.

Overlapping windows are a highly effective mechanism for applicationmanagement. They exploit the user's spatial memory by associating aparticular area of the screen with a particular task being performed. Auser may find it easier to return to a previously opened window when heor she remembers that the window was placed at a particular location onthe screen, as compared with a list or menu of open windows that doesnot provide a model of spatial placement and stability.

One issue with conventional window-based mechanisms for applicationmanagement is that a large screen size is usually needed. Users facedwith limited screen space must choose between, on the one hand, makingwindows smaller and thus reducing available workspace within eachapplication, and, on the other hand, stacking windows atop each other sothat only one window (or very few) is visible at a time. Reducingworkspace can make it very difficult to use an application, particularlyfor applications such as word processing, photo editing, drawing, andthe like. Stacking windows reduces the ease with which the user canswitch from one application or document to another, as it is moredifficult to see what is currently open and to find the appropriatewindow to be activated. When windows are stacked, users usually resortto navigation via taskbar, dock, menu, keyboard shortcut, or the like,thereby reducing the advantages of the overlapping window paradigm.

Some systems, such as the Mac OS operating system offered by Apple, Inc.of Cupertino, Calif., offer a mechanism for navigating among openapplications by temporarily moving and shrinking open windows, movingthe windows apart from one another so that they do not overlap. The usercan then activate one of the windows; the original window positions andsizes are then restored, with the activated window on top. This featureis effective in allowing users to quickly switch among open applicationsand documents, but still requires a relatively large amount of screenspace so as to effectively show the temporarily shrunk windows when theuser is to select among them.

Mobile devices such as smartphones, personal digital assistants, musicplayers, handheld computers, and the like are becoming increasinglypowerful. Many are now able to run several applications concurrently,and to perform sophisticated functions that rival traditional computingdevices. However, most such devices have extremely small screens, whencompared to laptop or desktop computers. Thus, the conventionalwindow-based techniques for navigating among open applications anddocuments do not function very well on mobile devices. There isinsufficient screen space to display multiple overlapping windows. Infact, many such devices do not even have enough space to display a taskbar or dock. Rather, the entire screen is often devoted to a singleapplication, document, message, task, or activity, so as to make themost effective use of the extremely limited amount of space available.

What is needed is a system and method for application management thatprovides the advantages of multiple overlapping windows but is effectivefor a device having a small screen. What is further needed is a systemand method that allows users to switch easily among activities,including applications, documents, and tasks, in a device having limitedscreen space. What is further needed is a system and method that isscalable to different screen sizes, and that provides solutions for allapplication and activity management, including starting activities,ending activities, and switching from one activity to another.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a computing device runs two or moreactivities concurrently and provides at least two modes for interactingwith the activities. The user may toggle between the modes as desired. Abutton or other control is provided for switching between full-screenmode and windowed mode.

In a full-screen mode, one activity occupies substantially an entiredisplay screen.

In a windowed mode, the activity is visible within a window, and aportion of at least one other window is also visible. Thus, the windowthat has focus is visible in full, while at least one other window isonly partially visible. The window occupied by the activity is referredto as having focus. In the windowed mode, the user can cause windows tomove on the screen, so as to change focus from one activity to another.For example, the window having focus can be moved off the screen, to bereplaced by a new window that is then given focus. In one aspect, theactivities are ordered in a sequence and the windows appear in acorresponding sequence. In one aspect, the windows move in concert withone another; pushing one window off one edge of the screen causes a newwindow to appear at the opposite edge. A persistent positionalrelationship can be established among windows.

In response to a user command, the windows shift position on the screen,so that the window that currently has focus becomes only partiallyvisible and one of the other windows becomes fully visible and hasfocus. The windows move in concert with each other, in response to usercommands. Thus, for example, if the user indicates that the centralwindow should move in a rightward direction, then the entire displayshifts to the right, as follows:

-   -   The central window (which has focus) moves to the right, so that        it is only partially visible along the right hand side of the        display.    -   If any window was partially visible to the right of the window        that has focus, it moves off the right edge of the screen so        that it is no longer visible.    -   If any window was partially visible to the left of the window        that has focus, it moves to the right so that it is now fully        visible and has focus.

The user indicates such movement, for example, by direct manipulation ofthe displayed windows. This can be performed on a touch screen, forexample, by dragging the central window to the left or to the right onthe screen or by tapping on a window that is partially displayed.Alternatively, a trackball, touch-sensitive pad, or other input devicecan be provided for facilitating such direct manipulation.

In one embodiment, the window that currently has focus is always fullyvisible and displayed in a substantially central location on the screenwith respect to partially displayed windows.

Window motion can be constrained to a single axis, for examplehorizontal or vertical but not both, so as to simplify the positionalrelationship among windows. Alternatively, two or more axes of movementscan be made available.

Once the user has moved the desired window to the central position sothat it has focus, he or she can indicate that the display should returnto full-screen mode, so that the activity having focus occupiessubstantially the entire screen. Alternatively, the device can return tofull-screen mode automatically after a period of time elapses where nowindow movement takes place, or if the user starts to interact with theactivity that has focus.

Thus, the full-screen display mode may be used for interacting with theactivity, and the windowed mode may be used for switching from oneactivity to another. However, in one aspect the invention allows fullinteraction with the activity in windowed mode as well.

A persistent positional relationship can be established among windows.The positional relationship can be a one-dimensional sequence or somemore complex two-dimensional relationship. The positional relationshipis persistent in the sense that it does not change unless the userindicates that it should be changed, or some other event takes placethat indicates a change is warranted (such as non-use of an application,or an application crashing or being dismissed).

Additional features and advantages will become apparent in thedescription provided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate several embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention. One skilled in the art will recognize thatthe particular embodiments illustrated in the drawings are merelyexemplary, and are not intended to limit the scope of the presentinvention.

FIG. 1 depicts a display screen showing a launcher for initiating anactivity such as an application.

FIG. 2 depicts a display screen in full-screen mode, wherein an activityoccupies substantially the entire display screen, according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts the display screen in windowed mode, including a windowhaving focus and two partially displayed windows, according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts the display screen in windowed mode after the user hasmoved the windows, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts the display screen in full-screen mode after the user hasdesignated a new activity as having focus, according to one embodimentof the present invention.

FIGS. 6A through 6F depict a sequence for switching from one activity toanother according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual depiction of a sequence switching from oneactivity to another according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B depict a sequence for dismissing an activity accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A through 9D depict a sequence for rearranging activitiesaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, reference is made herein to “activities”.In the context of the present invention, an “activity” is intended toinclude a software application, a task, a document, a page, and/or anyother activity that can be performed in connection with an electronicdevice. As described herein, the present invention provides techniquesfor starting and ending activities, and for switching among activities.

System Architecture

The present invention can be implemented on any electronic device, suchas a handheld computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), personalcomputer, kiosk, cellular telephone, and the like. For example, theinvention can be implemented as a feature of an application managementparadigm for a software application or operating system running on sucha device. Accordingly, the present invention can be implemented as partof a graphical user interface for controlling software on such a device.

The invention is particularly well-suited to devices such assmartphones, handheld computers, and PDAs, which have limited screenspace and which are capable of running several software applicationsconcurrently. One skilled in the art will recognize, however, that theinvention can be practiced in many other contexts, including anyenvironment in which it is useful to switch easily and smoothly from oneactivity to another. Accordingly, the following description is intendedto illustrate the invention by way of example, rather than to limit thescope of the claimed invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an example of an example of adevice 100 including a display screen 101 showing a launcher includingseveral icons 104 representing applications that can be opened by theuser. A dock 105 is also shown, including additional icons 106 forlaunching commonly used applications and other functions. Dock 105 isnot necessary for the present invention, but is shown for illustrativepurposes only.

In one embodiment, screen 101 is touch-sensitive, so that a user canactivate an application or function by touching a displayed icon 104,106. In one embodiment, device 100 also includes a touch-sensitivegesture area 102 for entering gesture-based commands, as described inthe above-referenced related application. In another embodiment, screen101 and/or gesture area 102 is sensitive to user motion in proximity tothe surface, so as to detect gestures and commands performed near thesurface but without necessarily contacting the surface.

For illustrative purposes, device 100 as shown in FIG. 1 is a personaldigital assistant or smartphone. Such devices commonly have telephone,email, and text messaging capability, and may perform other functionsincluding, for example, playing music and/or video, surfing the web,running productivity applications, and the like. The present inventioncan be implemented in any type of device having a touch-sensitivescreen, and is not limited to devices having the listed functionality.In addition, the particular layout shown in FIG. 1 is merely exemplaryand is not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the claimedinvention.

Touch-sensitive screen 101 and gesture area 102 can be implemented usingany technology that is capable of detecting a location of contact and/oruser motion proximate to the surface. Alternatively, the presentinvention can be implemented with other user input mechanisms, such as akeyboard, trackball, stylus, or the like. One skilled in the art willrecognize that the techniques of the present invention are well suitedto direct manipulation, but that any input technique can be used. In oneembodiment, gesture area 102 provides a touch-sensitive control areaextending beyond the edges of touch-sensitive screen 101, as describedin related application Ser. No. 12/115,992, filed May 6, 2008, for“Extended Touch-Sensitive Control Area for Electronic Device,” thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein.

Device 101 as shown in FIG. 1 also has a physical button 103. In oneembodiment, physical button 103 can be used to toggle betweenfull-screen mode and windowed mode, as described in more detail below.Physical button 103 is not needed for the present invention, and isshown for illustrative purposes only.

As described herein, at least two modes are available for interactingwith device 101: a full-screen mode in which an application or otheractivity occupies substantially the entire display screen 101, and awindowed mode in which at least two windows are presented, at least oneof which is only partially visible, with an application or otheractivity occupying each window. The full-screen mode is designed todevote a greater amount of screen space to the active activity, whilethe windowed mode provides a mechanism for navigating among activitiesand for rearranging, initiating, and terminating activities.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown display screen 101 infull-screen mode. In the example, a calendar application occupiessubstantially the entire display screen 101; however, one skilled in theart will recognize that any activity can be presented in this manner. Asshown in FIG. 2, even in full-screen mode, certain portions of displayscreen 101 may be reserved for a title bar, battery indicator, clock,signal strength indicator, and the like. Accordingly, the term“full-screen mode” as used herein is intended to refer to anyarrangement wherein the primary focus of the screen 101 is a singleactivity, even if other, smaller areas of screen 101 are reserved forother functions.

The user interacts with the active activity (such as the calendarapplication shown in FIG. 2) by conventional user interface methods,including manipulating on-screen elements, entering text, and the like.Such techniques are well known in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown an example of display screen 101in windowed mode. In one embodiment, the user can toggle betweenfull-screen mode and windowed mode by pressing physical button 103. Inanother embodiment, the user can touch or double-tap an activity 301B inwindowed mode to initiate a switch to full-screen mode. In yet anotherembodiment, device 100 switches from windowed mode to full-screen modeafter some period of inactivity. Other mechanisms can also be providedfor toggling between the modes.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, in windowed mode, window 301B having focus isfully visible. Other windows 301A, 301C are only partially visible anddo not have focus. Usually, window 301B having focus represents the sameactivity that was displayed in full-screen mode immediately before theswitch to windowed mode. Any number of partially displayed windows 301A,301C can be presented. In the example of FIG. 3, two such windows 301A,301C are shown, one on either side of window 301B having focus.Typically, in an arrangement where windows 301 are presented along alinear axis, one or two partially displayed window(s) 301 can bedisplayed adjacent to the window 301 that has focus. Also, as shown inFIG. 3, in one embodiment, partially displayed windows 301A, 301C areshown slightly smaller than window 301B having focus, so as to furtheremphasize the fact that window 301B has focus.

Partially displayed windows 301A, 301C provide a positional context forwindow 301B, and provide a mechanism for navigating to other activities.In one embodiment, the user can designate a window 301A, 301C to havefocus by touching any area within the window; this causes the designatedwindow 301 to move to the central portion of display screen 101, andcauses other windows to move as well, so that the same positionalsequence is maintained. In one embodiment, the user can designate awindow 301A, 301C to have focus by dragging any displayed window 301 tocause the desired window 301 to move to the central portion of displayscreen 101; again, other windows 301 move as well, so that the samepositional sequence is maintained. In one embodiment, the user can movewindows 301 left and right by dragging a finger along gesture area 102.In one embodiment, such a gesture can be performed even in full-screenmode, causing windows 301 to move left and right in the same manner asdescribed above for windowed mode.

As described in more detail below, when the user drags a window 301 tothe left or right within display screen 100, other windows 301 move inconcert with the dragged window 301. Thus, for example, if the userdrags window 301B to the right, windows 301A and 301C move to the rightas well. This would cause window 301C to move off the screen, and window301A would move to the central position of display screen 100. The sameresult would occur if the user drags window 301A to the right.

In one embodiment, if the user drags windows 301 so as to place a window301 sufficiently close to the central position to make it clear that theintention is to give the window 301 focus, the window 301 snaps into thecentral position upon completion of the drag operation. Other windows301 snap into place accordingly to maintain the same positionalsequence. Thus, the user need not drag the window 301 all the way to thecentral position. If, on the other hand, the user drags windows 301 asmall amount that does not cause a new window 301 to be sufficientlyclose to the central position, all windows 301 snap back to theirprevious positions upon completion of the drag operation.

In one embodiment, windows 301 show applications or other activities inoperation. Thus, as the user navigates among windows 301, he or she cansee the actual live application or other activity within each window301.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown an example of display screen 101in windowed mode, after the user has caused window 301C (representing anemail application) to become centrally located and to have focus. As canbe seen in FIG. 4, window 301B that previously had focus is nowpartially visible to the left of window 301C. Window 301A is no longervisible.

The user can touch or double-tap window 301C to re-enter full-screenmode with the new activity having focus and being active, as shown inFIG. 5. Alternatively, the user can press button 103 to toggle betweenfull-screen mode and windowed mode. Thus, in FIG. 5 the user hascompleted the switch from the calendar application of FIG. 2 to theemail application.

In the examples described herein, windows 301 are arranged in ahorizontal row. The user moves windows 301 along a horizontal axis tonavigate from one activity to another. One skilled in the art willrecognize that other arrangements are possible. For example, windows 301could be arranged vertically instead of horizontally. Alternatively, atwo-dimensional arrangement of windows 301 can be provided.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a conceptual depiction of asequence switching from one activity to another according to oneembodiment of the present invention. A number of activities are open,each represented by a window 301A through 301H. Screen 101 only shows asubset of the windows 301 at any given time. As can be seen in theFigure, a positional sequence is maintained even though most of thewindows 301 are not visible at any given time. FIG. 7 depicts movementof the display screen 101 from an initial position where window 301B hasfocus (and windows 301A and 301C are partially visible) to a secondposition where window 301E is has focus (and windows 301D and 301F arepartially visible).

The movement of display screen 101 is conceptual. In actual operation,the switch from window 301B to window 301E is accomplished by movingwindows 301 in a leftward direction on screen 101. For example, the usercan repeatedly drag windows 301 in a leftward direction to cause windows301C, 301D, and 301E to successively occupy the central position.Alternatively, the user can click on partially displayed window 301C tomove it to the central position and to cause window 301D to be partiallydisplayed, then on partially displayed window 301D to move it to thecentral position and to cause window 301E to be partially displayed, andthen on partially displayed window 301E to move it to the centralposition. Either mechanism operates to shift focus from the activityrepresented by window 301B to the activity represented by window 301E.

In one embodiment, a transition effect is performed to enhance thesmoothness of the transition as windows 301 move and/or snap into place.In one embodiment, the window 301 that is centrally displayed at anygiven time is shown slightly larger than other windows 301.

In one embodiment, more than one window 301 can be completely visiblewithin screen 101. For example, three windows 301 might be completelyvisible, with additional partially-visible windows 301 on either side.The above-described techniques for moving windows 301 in concert withone another to maintain positional sequence still apply in such avariation.

In general, the sequence of windows 301 is persistent, even when theuser moves from one window to another 301. In one embodiment, thesequence is circular, so that the rightmost window 301 is considered tobe to the left of the leftmost window 301. Thus, moving off one end ofthe sequence takes the user back to the other end of the sequence.

In one embodiment, windows 301 may be moved within the sequenceautomatically in some circumstances. For example, frequently usedwindows 301 can be moved to more prominent locations in the sequence,while less frequently used windows 301 can remain in less prominentlocations.

Referring now to FIGS. 6A through 6F, the operation of the invention isfurther illustrated by way of an example of a sequence for switchingfrom one activity to another; specifically, the user switches from acalendar application to a telephone application. FIG. 6A shows aninitial state in which device 100 shows a calendar application infull-screen mode. In FIG. 6B, the user has switched to windowed mode,for example by pressing button 103. Now, the calendar application isvisible in window 301B, and the telephone application is partiallyvisible in window 301A. FIGS. 6C through 6E show the effect of the userdragging window 301B in a rightward direction. As the user drags window301B, window 301A also moves in a rightward direction, until it iscentrally located in display screen 101, as shown in FIG. 6E. Asdiscussed above, this motion can also be initiated in response to theuser touching the visible portion of window 301A in FIG. 6B, or bydragging in a horizontal rightward direction in gesture area 102.

Once the telephone application is in the central position in window 301Aas shown in FIG. 6E, the user can tap on window 301A or press button 103to switch to full screen mode, as shown in FIG. 6F. In one embodiment,the user can also interact with the telephone application directly inwindowed mode as shown in FIG. 6E.

The user can launch additional activities by returning to the launchscreen as shown in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, this is performed byperforming a gesture or other command. In one embodiment, the user canalso launch additional activities by touching an icon 106 in dock 105.In one embodiment, newly launched activities generate new windows thatare added to the end of the sequence of windows shown in FIG. 7. In oneembodiment, the window for the newly launched activity is, by default,given focus and presented in the central position on screen 101.

The user can dismiss applications, for example by closing a window 301.In one embodiment, a window 301 can be closed by clicking on a controlwithin the window. In another embodiment, a window 301 can be closed bydragging the window upward off screen 101. Referring now to FIGS. 8A and8B, there is shown an example of a sequence where the user drags window301B upward off screen 101, causing window 301B to be dismissed.

As can be seen in FIGS. 8A and 8B, dismissing window 301B causes 301C tomove leftward to fill in the gap caused by window 301B being dismissed.In general, when a window 301 is dismissed, other windows 301 move tofill the gap.

In one embodiment, dismissing a window 301 causes the applicationassociated with the window to close. In another embodiment, theapplication remains open even when window 301 is closed.

In one embodiment, a window 301 might close automatically in certaincircumstances. For example, if a task associated with an application iscompleted, or if an application crashes or terminates, the window 301for the application can close automatically.

The user can also rearrange windows 301 manually when desired, bydragging a window 301 from one position to another. An example is shownin FIGS. 9A through 9D. The user drags window 301B upward, causingwindows 301C and 301D to move to fill the gap. The user does not releasewindow 301B however; instead, he or she moves window 301B into aposition between windows 301C and 301D, as shown in FIG. 9C. The resultis the sequence shown in FIG. 9D, where window 301B is now positionedbetween windows 301C and 301D.

In one embodiment, the user can resize windows 301 as desired. Forexample, the user can drag a corner of a window 301 to resize it, or canuse two fingers to pinch the edges or corners of a window 301 to resizeit.

To summarize, then, any or all of the following actions may be enabledfor displayed windows 301:

-   -   Press button 103: toggle between full-screen and windowed modes    -   Drag window 301 left or right: cause windows to move left or        right, and change focus    -   Horizontal gesture in gesture area 102: cause windows to move        left or right, and change focus    -   Touch partially displayed window 301: cause window 301 to gain        focus and move to center    -   Touch (or double-tap) window 301 having focus: switch to        full-screen mode    -   Drag window 301 upward: dismiss window    -   Drag window 301 downward: zoom out, causing more windows 301 to        be shown concurrently on screen 101; the user can zoom back in        by tapping any empty space

The present invention has been described in particular detail withrespect to one possible embodiment. Those of skill in the art willappreciate that the invention may be practiced in other embodiments.First, the particular naming of the components, capitalization of terms,the attributes, data structures, or any other programming or structuralaspect is not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms thatimplement the invention or its features may have different names,formats, or protocols. Further, the system may be implemented via acombination of hardware and software, as described, or entirely inhardware elements, or entirely in software elements. Also, theparticular division of functionality between the various systemcomponents described herein is merely exemplary, and not mandatory;functions performed by a single system component may instead beperformed by multiple components, and functions performed by multiplecomponents may instead be performed by a single component.

Reference herein to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or to “one ormore embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiments is includedin at least one embodiment of the invention. Further, it is noted thatinstances of the phrase “in one embodiment” herein are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment.

Some portions of the above are presented in terms of algorithms andsymbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computermemory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the meansused by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectivelyconvey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Analgorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistentsequence of steps (instructions) leading to a desired result. The stepsare those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities.Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form ofelectrical, magnetic or optical signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared and otherwise manipulated. It isconvenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to referto these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms,numbers, or the like. Furthermore, it is also convenient at times, torefer to certain arrangements of steps requiring physical manipulationsof physical quantities as modules or code devices, without loss ofgenerality.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion,it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizingterms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or“displaying” or “determining” or the like, refer to the action andprocesses of a computer system, or similar electronic computing moduleand/or device, that manipulates and transforms data represented asphysical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memories orregisters or other such information storage, transmission or displaydevices.

Certain aspects of the present invention include process steps andinstructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should benoted that the process steps and instructions of the present inventioncan be embodied in software, firmware or hardware, and when embodied insoftware, can be downloaded to reside on and be operated from differentplatforms used by a variety of operating systems.

The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computerreadable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type ofdisk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-opticaldisks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs,EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus. Further, thecomputers referred to herein may include a single processor or may bearchitectures employing multiple processor designs for increasedcomputing capability.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer, virtualized system, or other apparatus.Various general-purpose systems may also be used with programs inaccordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient toconstruct more specialized apparatus to perform the required methodsteps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will beapparent from the description above. In addition, the present inventionis not described with reference to any particular programming language.It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may beused to implement the teachings of the present invention as describedherein, and any references above to specific languages are provided fordisclosure of enablement and best mode of the present invention.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited numberof embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of the abovedescription, will appreciate that other embodiments may be devised whichdo not depart from the scope of the present invention as describedherein. In addition, it should be noted that the language used in thespecification has been principally selected for readability andinstructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate orcircumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosureof the present invention is intended to be illustrative, but notlimiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in theclaims.

What is being claimed is:
 1. A mobile computing device comprising: a touch-sensitive display screen; and a processor, coupled to the display screen, to concurrently operate at least two activities and operate the display screen in at least a full-screen mode and a windowed mode; wherein in the full-screen mode, the processor (i) provides, on the display screen, an interface for a single one of the activities, and (ii) enables a user to interact with the single one of the activities that is provided on the display screen so that subsequent user inputs on the display screen are received by the single one of the activities; wherein in the windowed mode, the processor provides, on the display screen: a first window having focus and corresponding to a first activity of the at least two activities; and linearly adjacent to the first window, a first portion of a second window corresponding to a second activity so that a second portion of the second window is not visible on the display screen, the second activity being different from the first activity; wherein in the windowed mode, responsive to a directional user gesture with the display screen, the processor (i) causes the first window and the second window to move in concert with one another to reposition the first window and the second window in a direction of the directional user gesture, and (ii) changes focus from the first window to the second window on the display screen so that a first portion of the first window is provided on the display screen and a second portion of the first window is not visible on the display screen.
 2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the at least two activities includes one or more applications.
 3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein in the windowed mode, the processor provides, on the display screen, the first window having focus by providing the first window in a position substantially centrally with respect to the middle of the display screen.
 4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein in the windowed mode, at least the first window displays at least one of (i) an output from an application, (ii) a task, (iii) a message, (iv) a document, or (v) a web page.
 5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising: a physical button; and wherein in the full-screen mode, responsive to an input provided by the user via the physical button, the processor changes operation from the full-screen mode to the windowed mode.
 6. The mobile computing device of claim 5, wherein in the windowed mode, responsive to a tap input on the first window or the second window provided on the display screen, the processor changes operation from the windowed mode to the full-screen mode so that an interface for either the first window or the second window is provided on the display screen.
 7. The mobile computing device of claim 6, wherein the processor causes a transition effect to be displayed when changing operation from the windowed mode to the full-screen mode.
 8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein in the windowed mode, the processor further provides, on the display screen, linearly adjacent to the first window, a first portion of a third window corresponding to a third activity so that a second portion of the third window is not visible on the display screen.
 9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein in the windowed mode, the processor further provides, on the display screen, a plurality of icons positioned beneath at least the first window, the plurality of icons including an icon corresponding to an application.
 10. A method for navigating among a plurality of activities operated on a mobile computing device, the method being performed by a processor and comprising: concurrently operating at least two activities; and providing for display, on a touch-sensitive display screen of the mobile computing device, output for at least one of the two activities in a full-screen mode or a windowed mode, wherein in the full-screen mode, an interface for a single one of the activities is displayed on the display screen so that subsequent user inputs on the display screen are received by the single one of the activities, and wherein in the windowed mode, (i) a first window having focus is displayed on the display screen, the first window corresponding to a first activity, and (ii) linearly adjacent to the first window, a first portion of a second window corresponding to a second activity is displayed on the display screen so that a second portion of the second window is not visible on the display screen, the second activity being different from the first activity; wherein in the windowed mode: receiving a directional user gesture provided on the display screen, and responsive to receiving the directional user gesture, (i) causing the first window and the second window to move in concert with one another to the first window and the second window in a direction of the directional user gesture, and (ii) changing focus from the first window to the second window on the display screen so that a first portion of the first window is provided on the display screen and a second portion of the first window is not visible on the display screen.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least two activities includes one or more applications.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein in the windowed mode, the first window having focus is displayed on the display screen by being displayed in a position substantially centrally with respect to the middle of the display screen.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein in the windowed mode, at least the first window displays at least one of (i) an output from an application, (ii) a task, (iii) a message, (iv) a document, or (v) a web page.
 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: in the full-screen mode: receiving an input provided by the user via a physical button of the mobile computing device; and responsive to the input provided by the user via the physical button, changing operation from the full-screen mode to the windowed mode.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: in the windowed mode: receiving a tap input on the first window or the second window provided on the display screen; and responsive to the tap input provided by the user, changing operation from the windowed mode to the full-screen mode so that an interface for either the first window or the second window is provided on the display screen.
 16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising: concurrently operating at least two activities; providing for display, on a touch-sensitive display screen of a mobile computing device, output for at least one of the two activities in a full-screen mode or a windowed mode, wherein in the full-screen mode, an interface for a single one of the activities is displayed on the display screen so that subsequent user inputs on the display screen are received by the single one of the activities, and wherein in the windowed mode, (i) a first window having focus is displayed on the display screen, the first window corresponding to a first activity, and (ii) linearly adjacent to the first window, a first portion of a second window corresponding to a second activity is displayed on the display screen so that a second portion of the second window is not visible on the display screen, the second activity being different from the first activity; wherein in the windowed mode: receiving a directional user gesture provided on the display screen, and responsive to receiving the directional user gesture, (i) causing the first window and the second window to move in concert with one another to the first window and the second window in a direction of the directional user gesture, and (ii) changing focus from the first window to the second window on the display screen so that a first portion of the first window is provided on the display screen and a second portion of the first window is not visible on the display screen.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the at least two activities includes one or more applications.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the processor to provide, on the display screen, the first window having focus by providing the first window in a position substantially centrally with respect to the middle of the display screen.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the processor to: in the full-screen mode: receive an input provided by the user via a physical button of the mobile computing device; and responsive to the input provided by the user via the physical button, change operation from the full-screen mode to the windowed mode.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the processor to: in the windowed mode: receive a tap input on the first window or the second window provided on the display screen; and responsive to the tap input provided by the user, change operation from the windowed mode to the full-screen mode so that an interface for either the first window or the second window is provided on the display screen. 